John Wheaver was born in 1850 in Sutton Coldfield, Warks. His parents were
William and Rebecca James. Caroline Ann Barnes was born in 1845 in Vauxhall, Birmingham. Her parents were
Charles and Sarah Barnes. John and Caroline were married in 1875 at St James the Less church,
Ashted, Birmingham (with his father's name conspicuously absent from the register). John (as John James) may have been a servant in 1871 in
Erdington. Caroline was at home until she married.
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| St James the Less, Ashted (credit) |
They had six children in Sutton.
- 57.1.1 - Rose Caroline Wheaver (1876)
- 57.1.2 - William John Wheaver (1878)
- 57.1.3 - Alice Elizabeth Wheaver (1880)
- 57.1.4 - Arthur Barnes Wheaver (1881)
- 57.1.5 - Rebecca Mary Wheaver (1885)
- 57.1.6 - Samuel Horatio Wheaver (1887)
More on these individuals in
Chapter 57.
In 1881, John is recorded as a gardener, and the family is living on Sutton Road,
Boldmere. Boldmere is now considered a suburban village but originated as an undeveloped part of Sutton. It had started to expand when the London and North Western Railway arrived in the 1860s. More
here.
In 1891, John is recorded as a gardener (domestic servant). They are living on Lichfield Road,
Wylde Green - another part of Sutton, adjacent to Boldmere. More
here.
In 1911, John is a 'gardener, domestic', and they are living at 3 Marston Rd, Erdington (Wylde Green). The house appears no longer to exist.
Oral history tells us that John worked his way up from gardener's boy to Head Gardener at
Middleton Hall. He cycled nine or ten miles each way. I visited the Hall years ago, and the volunteers were sceptical. However, their records were from a slightly different period.
The trust which looks after the Hall are still proud of the
gardens, partially walled. The Hall was home to Francis Willughby in the late C17. Educated at Bishop Vesey Grammar School and Trinity College, Cambridge, he became - with his collaborator - John Ray, an influential writer on natural sciences.
There is a family memory that Caroline was quite 'posh', reading French novels in the original and other such airs and graces: she was apparently nicknamed 'The Duchess'! There is a faint memory of an elopement - perhaps her father didn't approve of the match. This doesn't square with her background though, so remains a bit of a mystery.
In 1916, their address is 77 Sheffield Rd, Erdington, which
does still
exist (with a long-suffering Rover SD1 on the drive). It's also actually in Wylde Green.
John died in 1927 in the Tamworth registration district, which included Sutton Coldfield. Caroline died in 1931, in Birmingham North. A family group photograph exists from John's last year.
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| Wheaver family, 1927 |
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| Caroline Wheaver |
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| John Wheaver |
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